For immediate release
October 24, 2011
Contact: Bill Maddox
Phone: 404-223-2464
Email:
GEORGIA PARTNERSHIP ANNUAL TOUR THAT VISITS
ACHIEVING SCHOOLS GETS UNDERWAY TUESDAY
Annual Event Celebrates Winning Formulas, Shares Best Practices
ATLANTA -- The Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education will begin its 19th Annual Bus Trip Across Georgia Tuesday morning, October 25, when more than 80 education, civic, business, government leaders and future teachers will board tour buses to visit eight achieving public schools. The theme this year is “Georgia’s Public Schools: Changing Culture, Building Community, and Reaching Excellence.”
The three-day 2011 trip will focus on schools in the mid-eastern and southeastern regions of the state. The selected schools are Lake Oconee Academy, Greene County Schools; Oak Hill Middle School, Baldwin County Schools; Langston Chapel Elementary School, Bulloch County Schools; Claxton Middle School, Evans County Schools; Taylors Creek Elementary School, Liberty County Schools; Sugarmill Elementary School, Camden County Schools; Golden Isles Career Academy, Glynn County Schools; and Ware County High School, Ware County Schools.
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ANNUAL BUS TRIP ACROSS GEORGIA 2-2-2
Steve Dolinger, Georgia Partnership president, explained this will be an especially exciting trip. “We are visiting schools in some smaller communities that are preparing their students very well for a rapidly changing workforce. We want to pat them on the back for the great job they are doing while at the same time we intend on capturing their best practices to take home with us.”
Dolinger explained that over the 19-year history of the trip innumerable ideas have found their way across the state as participants adopt or adapt programs they have witnessed. “We call this a hands-on tour,” he added. “We encourage our participants to engage teachers, administrators, students, parents, and other local attendees. We tell them to ask questions and get involved in the classroom activities and even get on the floor with the younger children.”
A few years ago the Partnership decided to invite college students who were nearing completion of their course work. That idea proved to be an immediate winner as several students participated. This year 19 future teachers representing 14 colleges and universities across the state will join the tour. Several future educators from South Georgia College in Douglas will also be participating as they travel along in their own bus.
State Representative Amy Carter (District 175 – Valdosta), herself a teacher, is bringing a group of future teachers from Lowndes High School along as well. They will travel separately but will be at each of the eight stops. This will be the second year for this program that met with rave reviews from teachers and students alike last year.
Dolinger emphasized the visits are open to local education supporters who would like to join in the celebration of public school achievement. “This is such a good news story,” he stressed.
More information is available on the Georgia Partnership web site at www.gpee.org.
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